TABLE OF CONTENTS

After completion of the research papers, students came together in a series of
“technology area hot washes” and brainstorming sessions to review and share what they
had learned through the research and writing process, and attempt to generate ideas on
areas of possible technological/operational surprise. These sessions were followed by a
series of workshops where the students consolidated their ideas and developed the group
products – this project summary, and a complementary slide presentation entitled,
“Operational Impact of Exponential Technological Change on the Air Force.”
The other major product is 54 military leaders from diverse specialties who are
now armed with the broad awareness of emerging S&T capabilities required to lead the
USAF and our nation through the challenges of the coming years. The investment in
their education in emerging technologies, the development of their familiarity with
leading scientists, and the nurturing of their ability to ask tough questions will enable
them to contribute to the force development process now underway, and to the continuing
recapitalization of the U.S. Air Force in all its guises—human, physical and financial.
APPENDIX C: SELECTED RESEARCH PAPER SUMMARIES
Cyber
Placing U.S. Air Force Information Technology Investment Under the “Nanoscope”:
A Clear Vision of Nanotechnology’s Impact on Computing In 2030
Joseph H. Imwalle, Major, USAF
Nanotechnology promises to create a new generation of information technology
(IT) devices that will enable computing and networking capabilities in unimaginable
ways. The U.S. Air Force (USAF) heavily relies on IT systems to execute its technologyoriented
mission and, as a result, must understand and seek to shape the potential impacts
of nanotechnology. By targeting its precious time and money investments on high-value,